Genetically Modified Seeds and India's Suicide Belt

I read the article and the comments... The comment from the person from India was thought provoking...

I am appalled that these good husbands and fathers would kill themselves and leave their families helpless....

I think that much more information is necessary before condemning the company that designed the seed... seed that apparently has allowed the cotton production to double in the last 5 years and kept millions of jobs viable in the textile industry... It seems that two years of drought have taken their toll and without doubt the farmers need help... financial help and education about farming practices... It appears that the government seed bank did not dispense adequate information about the seeds they were selling... and that the need to purchase seed every year is a financial hardship. If the farmers live in an area where cotton can be grown organically, that would be an ideal solution. But... not all areas are capable of that... especially if the boll weevil is a well established pest...

I think that rather than trying to stop Monsanto we should focus on helping the farmers into the modern age of farming...

Angel

--Alli wuz here--- (Clickin' like mad and leavin' a few comments) Thanks for posting!

I read the article and I thought the same thing: what father, knowing he would leave his family in such dire circumstances, would kill himself? Seems a very selfish act because if he lives, he can still try to support his family; reminds me of the men who took off and left their families during the Great Depression, before there was social security to provide for them.

There is something that is not being told here. Cannot put my finger on it but not everything is out in the open in this matter!

Terrible story - but why did the seed fail? That was the thing I was puzzled by. I agree Monsanto seems to have sold a bill of goods - at inflated prices - to these poor farmers. Thanks so much for drawing my attention to this.

The GM seed failed because of the two years of drought--the GM seed requires much more water than the 'traditional' seed.

Those who might not know...Prince Charles is a very strong proponent of organic farming, gardening, etc. He permitted a book to be published about the methods in use at one of his homes, where even the water and sewer treatment processes don't involve the use of chemicals. The Mail may have slanted to support his position somewhat, though if you have read any of the early organic protest materials, you won't find anything out of place in this story, other than the lack of an attempt at explaining the cultural attitude towards suicide. In some cultures, suicide is an honorable way out in order to spare the family the shame of whatever.

Well, I wouldn't agree that suicide was the best option, but then again, what would be MY level of tolerance, when faced with a similar degree of suffering and hopelessness?

I do agree that GM crops cause problems, everywhere they go, one way or another... And everyone seems to always forget that this is a science that is being propogated, and used throughout the world, even before all the health effects are known.

Myself, I'm a firm believer that "Man" can not create a better product than "God", and every time we try to do so, we mess things up royally! (of course we never figure that out, till it's too late!)

My biggest worry, is that our food supply will be completely contaminated, (and thereby eventually rendered un-eatable) with all the new attempts that are being carried out, right now, to create GM "food" that has "non-food" purposes.

Right now, they are creating food crops that contain medicines, various chemicals, and even plastics! (or so I have heard) These "non-food-foods" have the potential to contaminate EVERY food crop in the world! (via cross pollination) When they began experimenting with these technologies, they assured everyone CROSS POLLINATION WOULD NOT HAPPEN! But it's already been proven that this was a promise they could not keep. Cross pollination has already happened, and already polluted some food crops. (something else that has also been putting farmers out of business)

American science has a history of developing and propogating new technologies, without much regard for future consequences...

I think we need to be demanding a far greater level of accountability and responsibility, to coincide with any attempts to create and propogate new technology. Currently, the whole system is driven by the dollar bill, which does NOT encourage ethical behavior and moral/social/economic/ecological accountability.

The basic rule should be - "If it does ANY harm to humans or the natural environment, it should not be allowed, PERIOD". And along with that rule, there should also be another rule which says - "You must PROVE your technology does no harm, and WILL NOT do any harm, to man or the environment, now or in the future, BEFORE you can use, sell, or propogate this technology!" Seems like that would just be common sense, but those are not the rules that are being applied!

The only standing rule seem to be - "If we can make money from it, it must be ok!"

We are our own worst enemies, I'm afraid...

Perhaps, in the long run, the person who dies now, is the person who is actually better off. This person, at least, will not have to see the even greater suffering we our likely to bring to ourselves, and our children, in the future we are creating, with our own callous carelessness.

Will there even be a world left, fit to live in, if we have our way?

GT

Thanks for posting this to Diet Recipes/Tips

So good to see you feeling well enough to get your blood pressure up over this (careful, please) Monsanto gave us RoundUp, so we already know who and what we are dealing with here. Third world farmers are the new fruit - ripe for the plucking.

Wow!

So horrible for a part of the world that already has so little, My heart aches for these farmers.

Genetically modyfied animals, and plants. Plants that do not reproduce viable seeds? Do we want to eat this? We are what we eat, I've heard.

Of course we re! It's why we need to eat as close to nature as possible!